Flexible connection for boosters



March 31. 1925. 1,531,978

M. H. ROBERTS ET AL FLEXIBLE CONNECTION FOR BOOSTERS Filed Feb. 17, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l wwm 4/ A TTORNEYj March 31. 1925. 1,531,978

M. H. ROBERTS ET AL FLEXIBLE CONNECTION FOR BOOSTERS F i1ed Feb. 17, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 MWWESS. 11v VENTORS B y a f. M

A TTORNEYS Patented Mar. 31, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,531,978 PATENT OFFICE.

MONTAGUE H. ROBERTS, OF ENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, AND R. PETERS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS TO FRANKLIN RAILWAY SUPPLY COMPANY, OF. NEW

YORK, N. Y., A UCORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

FLEXIBLE QONNEGTION FOR BOOSTERS.

Application filed February 17, 1923. Serial No. 619,607.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, MoNTAoUn H. RoBERTs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Englewood, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, and FRANK R. PETERS, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residi (r at New York, in the county of New York 31%(1 State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flexible Connections for Boosters,

of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to flexible connections and particularly connections for booster-equipped locomotives.

One of the primary objects of our invention is to provide a simple and improved form of flexible connection for the live steam and the exhaust steam lines on the locomotive leading to and from the booster engine. V

Another object is to provide a flexible joint of the character described in which the joints are so disposed as to be protected from the dirt so that the useful life thereof is extended and the cost of maintenance reduced.

Our invention further'contemplates an arrangement by virtue of which the truck carrying the booster will be free to swing during curving, while at the same time the movements of the flexible connection are restrained, guided or controlled so that clearance limits are observed and interference with adjacent parts of the locomotive 5 avoided.

The foregoing, together with such other objects as may hereinafter appear or are incident to our invention, we obtain by means of a construction which we have il 40 lustrated in preferred form in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary diagrammatic side elevation of a booster-equipped locomotive illustrating the application of our improvements thereto;

Fig. 2 is a rear end elevation of diagrammatic character, drawn on an enlarged scale 7 and illustrating the arrangement of the various parts; and

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the hue 33 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to Fig; 1, the locomotive is provided with a pivoted truck, such as the trailing truck A, such truck being provlded with a booster motor B, constructed and operating in a manner well understood in this art. During curving the truck swings line and the exhaust steam line leading to and from the booster motor, such lines being carried on the locomotive proper. Flexible connections 0 and D are respectively pro 'vided between the live steam line 7 and the booster engine and the exhaust steam line 8 and the booster engine.

These flexible connections are hung from respective steam lines and comprise three ball joints 6, f and g, the ball-enclosing portions of each joint opening downwardly, so that there is little or no liability of dirt working into the joint to grind out the packing. The ball-enclosing portion of the upper joint of each respective connection is carried on an end of the respective steam line, and the second joint of each connection is suspended from the first joint by means of the substantially vertically disposed pipe length 9'. The second and third joints of each connection are coupled by a substantially horizontally disposed pipe length 10.

In the case of the connection C, the pipe 10 is relatively short, while in the flexible connection'D, the pipe 10 is considerably longer'and extends at an angle of about 45 to the center line of the truck, as will be clear on inspection of Fig. 3.

Substantially horizontally disposed pipes or manifolds 11 or 12 respectively connect the ball of the joints 9 to the inlet and exhaust ports respectively of the booster motor B, such pipes being secured to the booster motor and serving to support the balls of the third joints in substantially vertical position.

With respect to the connection C, the movement of the parts is controlled or guided by means of the guide strap 13, secured to a portion of the locomotlve supporting1 structure 14, the slot in the guide being isposed substantially at right angles to the center line ofthe truck. By this arrangement the pipe 9, during curving, IS

caused to swing laterally on the ball of the joint e forward and back swinging being prevented in order to not interfere with adjacent parts of the locomotive (not shown). Such restraint of the movement of the pipe 9 is made possible by virtue of the fact that the pipe length 10 will swing about the ball of the joint f, as the truck swings.

With respect to the connection D, the movement of its parts is also controlled or guided so'that such parts will not swing outwardly beyond clearance limits. In this case the guiding or control of the movement is accomplished by means of a link 15, loosely pivoted to a bracket 16 which is secured to the supporting structure 14 of the locomotive. The link 15 operates on swinging of the truck to cause the pipe 9 to swing more in a forward or rearward direction than in a lateral direction, the lateral displacement of the lower portion of such pipe being comparatively small. The looseness of the pivotal point prevents any binding.

In addition to the advantages herein pointed out the disposition of the ball joints is such as to reduce any unevenness in wear to a minimum. In this connection, it might be pointed out that the balls of the joints e and f are suspended substantially vertically, while the balls of the joints 9 are relatively rigidly supported in vertical position, so that the enclosing portions of such joints 9 rest on the respective ball.

The term swingin truck as employed herein applies genera ly to movable-or rotatable trucks and is not to be understood as being limited to a radial, swinging truck; and the term steam line is also to be unilerstood as comprehensive of fluid pressure mes.

What we claim is:

1. The combination with a locomotivehaving a swinging truck provided with a booster, a steam line, and a flexible connection between said line and the booster in cluding three ball joints, the ball-enclosing portions of which open downward, and suitable connecting lengths of pipe.

2. The combination with a locomotive having a swinging truck provided with a booster, a steam line, and a flexible connection between said line and the booster including a plurality of ball joints the ballenclosing portions of which open downward, together with means controlling the direction of movement of the flexible connection on swinging of the truck.

3. The combination with a locomotive having a swinging truck provided with a booster, a steam line, and a flexible connection between said line and the booster including a plurality of ball joints, the ballenclosing portions of which open downward, together with means controlling the extent of outward movement of the flexible connection on swinging of the truck.

4. The combination with a locomotive having a swinging truck provided with a booster, a steam line, and a flexible connection between said line and the booster including a plurality of ball joints, the ballenclosing portions of which open downward, together with means controlling the character of movement imparted to the flexible connection on swinging of the truck.

5. The combination with a locomotive having a swinging truck provided with a booster, a steam line, and a flexible connection between said line and the booster including a plurality of ball joints, the ballenclosing portions of which open downward, together with a guide for the flexible connection.

6. The combination with a locomotive having a swinging truck provided with a booster, a steam line, and a flexible connection between said line and the booster including a plurality of ball joints, the ball enclosing portions of which open downward, together with a link guide for the flexible connection.

7 The combination with a locomotive having a swinging truck provided with a booster, a steam line on the locomotive, and a hung flexible connection between said line and the booster including three ball joints, one of which is attached to said line, a substantially vertically disposed pipe connecting the second joint to the first, and a substantially horizontally disposed pipe connecting the third to the second joint.

8. The combination with a locomotive having a swinging truck provided with a booster, a steam line on the locomotive, and a hung flexible connection between said line and the booster including three ball joints, one of which is attached to said line, a substantially vertically disposed pipe connecting the second joint to the first, and a substantially horizontally disposed pipe connecting the third to the second joint, to-

' gether with a substantially horizontally disposed pipe connecting the third joint with the booster.

9. In a flexible connection of the character described including three ball joints, the balls of two of which are substantially vertically hung while the ball of the third joint is supported in substantially vertical position with the ball enclosing portion resting thereon, a substantially vertically disposed pipe connecting the first two joints, and a substantially horizontally disposed pipe connecting the second and third joints.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto signed our names.

MONTAGUE H. ROBERTS. FRANK R. PETERS. 

